A Traveler's Log
by kakashidiot
Summary: I get lonely. I talk. A lot. [A Traveler's rambling as the loneliness of the universe presses close.]
1. Fields of Platinum

**This is based on the game No Man's Sky which I have been playing since it first came out on PS4. Loving it tons, so I had to write something for it!**

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A Traveler's Log  
by Kakashidiot

Fields of Platinum

Platinum, a hardy blue flower found on many varieties of planets, is one of the staple resources for any serious Traveler. Small and feathered, it is unexpectedly delicate in this universe of terrors. On the flat white snow fields of the planet I called Walken Wonderland, the plants seem small and insignificant against the massive, empty sky overhead. Here, the still, small pinpricks of light press low.

I find myself in need of a companion.

 _Click._

Without thinking, I press my comm button and start talking.

 **Start log.**

 **Another day of exploration on another empty planet. Our search for life and connection continues, unhindered for the most part. What gives me pause? The eternal question of why. Why do I move onward every day? Why do I gather resources? Why do I explore?**

 **End log.**

I pause, bend down, pluck more organic platinum from a small bunch of flowers, and move on. Beneath my feet, the snow crunches quietly. There is a bare powder of brand new flakes, but beneath lie thick layers of ancient material. Ancient snow.

 _Was there snow on Earth?_ I muse. _Grandfather told me his ancestors played in the snow during winters. Winters. It must be an old seasonal expression. An amazing planet. Our old home._

Maybe one day, I would return there as well. Until that time, it was my duty as a Traveler to push the boundaries of space and add to the knowledge of Humanity. Part of that included supporting myself as best as I could independently – which meant long hours of back breaking work mining and harvesting.

Checking my exosuit, I realize I will need more zinc as well if I am to return to my ship safely. Scanning the surrounding fields, I keep an eye out for the bright yellow flower. Several come up on my viewfinder. I breathe a sigh of relief and make my careful way to the nearest ones.

 **Start log.**

 **I know that in a literal sense I do what I do because I chose to do so. Following in the footsteps of my Grandfather, who was himself a Traveler, I too carry the mantle of explorer and scientist. With each species I meet, with each trader I encounter, with each planet I explore, I am an ambassador for my people… and a little piece of Earth. A little voice for Humanity.**

 **Walken Wonderland. Heh. Grandfather, I think, will be proud.**

 **End log.**

I harvest the nearest zinc, check my resource stock, and turn about. My ship is waiting, as is the horizon.

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 **Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think!**

 **-KI**


	2. Groves of Heridium

A Traveler's Log  
by Kakashidiot

Groves of Heridium

The small yellow-orange Gek before me is obviously having a great day. Waves of pleasurable aroma drift toward me as it waves its small arms in excitement at the prospect of friendly commerce. A part of me understands the Gek. As Travelers, as Traders, we live incredibly isolated lives as we mine, harvest and, sometimes, loot our resources to haul them great distances for money. Those we meet, even if for a short time, become great friends.

My grasp of his language is minimal at best. I barely get through the required courteous greetings.

"We have much to offer, Traveler," the little creature blinks up at me, easily forgiving my awkwardness. "I, Agrak, am pleased to offer any of these at a fair price. My ship…" Agak's mouth widens and gapes a little in a fair approximation of a smile as he emits a small yelp of delight. "My ship may be up for offer as well, if the price is right. If there is anything you have to sell, I will take a look."

 _The price is right. Another of Grandfather's sayings._ I smile almost instinctively in response.

"Let's see what you have," I reply as I scroll through his ship's manifest. "I'll take the zinc… and the plutonium. Hm. Maybe two of your power cells as well." Unstrapping my own manifest, I hand him the tablet and allow him to peruse what I have for sale. "I just finished mining a sizeable amount of heridium out on the hills to the west."

"The Sentinels did not bother you?"

"Not today," I smile.

We conclude the transaction with a transfer of units. Despite his size, Agak is strong. He insists on helping me carry the items to my ship, which is parked a few meters away from the Trader's landing pad.

"A storm is coming," he squawks with sharp look up at the red sky. "This planet is hot. Even for us."

"Yes," I nod. "I prefer colder planets myself."

"Ahhh!" The creature shivers dramatically at the thought. The following sentences descend into unintelligibility. At the sight of my confused expression, he explains: "I dislike the cold."

We part ways. I do not wave goodbye, for the Gek see such niceties as unwanted gestures of finality. I salute him sharply with the tips of my craft's wings and bounce upward and out of the atmosphere, leaving behind lowering red clouds and biting hot winds.

 **Start log.**

 **Today, I met Agak of the Gek. A Trader. Another day, another trader. Today I learned that many of the Gek do not appreciate colder planets. Which is odd… because those I met on colder planets still maintained a fairly cheerful outlook on life. Perhaps they find happiness in a different way. Perhaps how they view happiness is different. Perhaps I can learn from them.**

 **End log.**

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 **Let me know what you think!**

 **-KI**


	3. Hedges of Chrysonite

A Traveler's Log  
by Kakashidiot

Hedges of Chrysonite

 **Start log.**

 **Upgrading my multitool wasn't the easiest thing to do, but it has already proven itself worth the time and effort. With the advanced mining laser newly installed, I am able to mine a variety of new minerals including titanium and deterium. If only I could find some chrysonite…**

 **End log.**

I pause. Holding up my multitool to the small beam of my exosuit, I check the gauges. Its energy levels were a little lower than I liked. _I need plutonium._ I glance again at the diagnostics for the new ship part I wanted to construct. _And I need chrysonite. The eternal struggle for resources._

Walken Wonderland, a planet I had named in memory of my Grandfather's humorous tales, is quiet beneath another full moon. Thanks to its relaxed Sentinels, plenteous resources, and lack of fauna, I find myself revisiting it often.

In between the low hanging branches of the arctic forest, I can locate occasional spikes of minerals. After walking steadily for half an hour and scanning, I find a promising sign along a sharp ridge. Spiking up into the pale blue of the great moon hanging overhead, hedges of chrysonite stand sharply.

 **Start log.**

 **Chrysonite found. Finally. Not that there will be enough from this, but it is promising.**

 **End log.**

Running forward and jetting down off the small plateau onto which I had climbed, I reach the chrysonite in good time. No one is there to beat me to it. _What a relief._

A relief… and a let down. The chrysonite is, after all, a small step toward expansion. Expansion of my ship. Expansion of what I can see of the universe. Ever expanding expansion filled with nothing more than the hope of contact, the hope of an end, the hope of a home.

 _I am reading too much into this_ , I tell myself grimly. _You need to spend more time at the next space station you find._ I log the reminder into my schedule. _The last thing you want to do is end your journey as a Traveler because you failed to get out of your head._

Still, it is a moment that clings, and I let it dwell. It brings to my mind the everlasting question… and my Grandfather lighting his Terran cigar (imported at great cost to the Settlement). The smoke hangs in my memory and his words.

 **Start log.**

… **so much depends/upon/the blue chrysonite/glimmering/under the moon/light/upon the snowy/ridge…**

 **End log.**

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 **Let me know what you think~!**

 **-KI**


	4. Jungles of Emeril

A Traveler's Log  
by Kakashidiot

Jungles of Emeril

On the toxic planet I called Uggly, I am confronted with a nice surprise. Usually toxic planets annoy me. The constant worry regarding exosuit integrity wears on your mind, and the damage to your ship, while minimal, bears some thought. Often the fauna – if there are any to be found – are twisted, predatory dinosaur-types, and the hissing of devouring rain begins to burn into your psyche.

I can't help but begin my rant once again.

 **Start log.**

 **When we all committed to the life of Traveler, did we expect this? This humdrum existence can wear on you if you let it, but in the end, isn't this what we signed up for? Who promised that life in space would be fraught with action and adventure? Who promised that there would be surprises around every corner? The Traveler commits to putting one foot in front of the other day by day. No more.**

 **End log.**

Emeril, most often hidden within the ground, was, on Uggly, congregated in small groves of twos and threes, dotting the hillside. What a surprise. _A delightful surprise, this time._ I slipped and squelched my way across the purple mud of the soil to the closest cluster and began to mine the precious material.

Looking this way and that to see where the Sentinels might be, I kept mining until the grove was gone. Transferring the materials to the ship took time, but in the end, every precious unit of emeril was safely stowed.

No signs of predatory animals. No familiar whirring and clicking Sentinels.

 _It's too good to be true_ , I thought.

I hoist myself into my cockpit, recharge my ship's shielding, and watch the rain fall. It looks like any other kind of rain, but when each droplet hits the broad leaves of the planet's twisted jungle, there is a faint hiss and a release of gas.

As the sun sets, the toxic rainstorm lets up a little, and a fog creeps down from the nearby mountain range to swallow the groves of emeril and broadleaf trees.

 **Start log.**

 **Life is a cycle. The same things happen day in and day out, but it's good to stay hopeful. Something might surprise you. You have to be ready.**

 **End log.**

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 **If you enjoyed this, let me know~!**

 **-KI**


	5. Forests of Platinum

Forests of Plutonium

Deep night falls. The white world of Wintry has been doused in violet as a giant neighbouring planet rises over the horizon. I stop, stand there upon a rocky outcropping, and gaze up at the sky. There is nothing to say. Nobody to say it to. Silence is broken by the distant cry of the planet's creatures.

So, I talk to myself. I talk to myself quite a bit.

The log date and location automatically scrolls across my visor, and when it glows gently, I start talking.

 **Start log.**

 **Once again, I land on an empty planet. Well, I say 'empty', but it isn't really. There are the animals. There are the plants. There are, as usual, local traders, surveyors, scholars, and warriors spread across the globe. Gek. Vykeen. Korvax. I have seen them all, but no one of my kind. Travelers are few and far in between. I could say they are virtually extinct. So, looking across this landscape, even though the planets and moons hang with still beauty in the sky, I can only feel lonely.**

 **End log.**

I walk forward. Between the trees, I catch a glimpse of red, and my scanner whirrs as it returns information. Plutonium. One of the materials I am in need of.

Pulling out my multi-tool, I set the beam to mining laser and raise it. After glancing about for any sign of wandering Sentinels and seeing none, I begin extraction. It takes only a few seconds, and as soon as I am finished, I scan the forest again and continue onward and upward the slopes of the mountain in search of more.

Every minute or so, I find a new outcropping of glowing plutonium. A forest filled with jagged spears of red rock reaching toward the sky. A beautiful sight for a weary Traveler.

Still, it is tough, long, and tedious work, but I continue my foray up the side of the unnamed mountain in search of resources. Without the plutonium, warp cells and hyper-drive capability are impossible. I keep moving forward and upward, until I reach the top.

The last half of the mountain is bare of trees and plutonium, but I keep climbing upward for some zinc which has shown up on my scanner.

Now, looking down, I take a deep breath and sigh. Violet dusk gives way to a deeper blue of the evening. Far below my feet, the icy forest spreads outward like a white downy blanket. Beneath the trees, in between the gaps of branches and trunks, dips into the earth reveal steady dim glows of orange and yellow – antrium and carbon-based flora. Snuggled in its hollow, an insignificant toy in the vast panorama before me, my ship sits, waiting for my return.

 **Start log.**

 **This search for the meaning of everything: the meaning of Atlas, the meaning of my life, the meaning of the journey itself… Maybe it, in and of itself, is a lesson that can only be found in the awe and respect for the beautiful loneliness of the cosmos. Maybe that is all there is. Maybe I can find contentment in that alone. Maybe… just maybe… the destination is not so important as the path itself.**

 **End log.**

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 **That's it! The end~!**

 **Hope you enjoyed! If you did, write a review or send me message!**

 **Thanks a lot for reading!**

 **-KI**


End file.
